title: Evidence synthesis for decision making 7: a reviewer's checklist.
abstract: This checklist is for the review of evidence syntheses for treatment efficacy used in decision making based on either efficacy or cost-effectiveness. It is intended to be used for pairwise meta-analysis, indirect comparisons, and network meta-analysis, without distinction. It does not generate a quality rating and is not prescriptive. Instead, it focuses on a series of questions aimed at revealing the assumptions that the authors of the synthesis are expecting readers to accept, the adequacy of the arguments authors advance in support of their position, and the need for further analyses or sensitivity analyses. The checklist is intended primarily for those who review evidence syntheses, including indirect comparisons and network meta-analyses, in the context of decision making but will also be of value to those submitting syntheses for review, whether to decision-making bodies or journals. The checklist has 4 main headings: A) definition of the decision problem, B) methods of analysis and presentation of results, C) issues specific to network synthesis, and D) embedding the synthesis in a probabilistic cost-effectiveness model. The headings and implicit advice follow directly from the other tutorials in this series. A simple table is provided that could serve as a pro forma checklist.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (AEA, DMC, NJW, SD)
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ades
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (AEA, DMC, NJW, SD)
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, London, UK (SR)
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reken
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (AEA, DMC, NJW, SD)
authors.forename: Nicky J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Welton
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK (AJS)
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (AEA, DMC, NJW, SD)
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dias
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011336:Probability; D000071076:Network Meta-Analysis as Topic; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic
keywords: Bayesian meta-analysis; cost-effectiveness analysis; meta-analysis; multiparameter evidence synthesis